I think it’s a great argument about the picture which we don’t know exactly what happened. The picture ”Death of a loyalist solider” could be real or fake. I can’t say 100% what happened there. But as far as i concern that picture might be fake. Because of the perfection of the picture. That picture looks so perfect when you actually sees it carefully. The picture had been taken in a perfect time when the soldier got shoot and his gun was dropping off from his hand. That picture looks realistic but i believe it can’t be true. Because when the solider got shoot what Robert Capa was doing there. Why she didn’t get shoot that time. How could she get the perfect shot that time. There would be many questions like that. I think she made that situation to take that picture and trying to show what happened during a war. Your life may be unpredicted during that time. I think the whole aspect of that photo is show to the viewers. Because it’s not easy to get a perfect shot like that.
Capa’s Death of a Loyalist Soldier
Robert Capa’s Death of a Loyalist Soldier, has been a center of controversy deciding if the photo was staged or in fact real. Reading Richard Whelan’s opinion on Capa’s photo, I could see exactly why he thought that this photo was staged. Everything in the photograph looked to be too perfect, the perfect emotion, the perfect pose, even the perfect angle. Whelan also shows another similar picture of another soldier who also is shown in the same position as the Loyalist Soldier. At first glance, I did believe that both photos were the same soldier in different poses. Actually looking at the photograph, I was able to make out that both photographs were different men. Looking at the photograph in deeper detail, I came to the conclusion that the photograph could not have been faked. There is so much pain in the soldier’s pain that I cant see how anyone could fake that emotion. I also believe to be real because this is the type of photographs that Capa set out to capture and I don’t believe he would go about to faking this when he’s trying to report what exactly is happening in the world.
Home Work #3 -Death of a Loyalist Soldier
Robert Capa’s photograph, Death of a Loyalist Soldier, real or staged? Many wonder many attempt to disprove. As for my opinion I believe it’s definitely real. Being in photo Journalism, the photographer’s job to expose the truth, which is as good as his word. Therefore I wish to believe that Capa didn’t go out of his way to capture a mock shot of death. Whelan was really into disproving Capa’s photo, mentioning it was staged because he mentions the body was already limp when the photo was taken. In addition to that, Capa’s life was at risk too and he wouldn’t be able to show his work if he tried to set up a false shot in the middle of battle, although no surrounding solders were in the picture which leads me to wonder what really happen that day. Spain’s civil war was bloody to say the least, Whelan also says the photo was taken by someone who resembled Capa’s instead he took the credit for the picture. You think they would of reached the bottom of this 70 years ago…
Homework #3
There were many discussions as to whether Robert Capa’s photograph, The Falling Soldier, was real or staged. I think Richard Whelan’s arguments are convincing and persuasive because no one would try to fake a death during the middle of a war. I feel like it’s hard to fake a death in the way the soldier was positioning himself. I believe that the photographs taken are not staged. The article states that “the man’s muscle have gone limp and that he is already dead”. It really looks like the man was hit with a bullet shown in the photograph. In my opinion, I think authenticity matters because Robert Capa wanted to take photographs from the war and that the photos should be real to have meanings. If he wanted capture moments, it should be real and not staged. Robert Capa was risking his life trying to take these photographs. The photo reminds me of another photo by Alexander Gardner’s Home of the Rebel Sharpshooter because of how he positioned his rifle.
Robert Capa’s Death of a Loyalist Soldier
Robert Capa was one of the greatest photographer during the war even though Richard Whelan use some evidences that shows that some of the photo of the war were stage, that doesn’t mean that he is not one of the greatest photographer. Whelan show evedence when he talks about the color of the uniform of the soldiers in comparison to the color of the photo that Capa took. He also talks about spain’s civil war where he met someone that he though it was Capa but at the end it wasn’t him, so that also prove that the image of the falling soldier was not take it by Capa. Whelan was really into Capa to prove that his photo where staged because he use photo to show why and how the photo was stage. He use a close up under his lap where it shows that the person that was falling was getting ready to put his hand. I will say that no matter if the photo was stage or not, that was the only way to let people how bad the war was. If it would it be be at war, that would make it difficult to take a picture. In addition to that, Capa’s life would it be at risk too and he would be able to show his work if he would die in that instance. Also i don’t understand how other photographer complain too much about stage when back in that time most photographer stage their photo.
Homework #3: Robert Capa’s Death of a Loyalist Soldier
While reading the analysis of Robert Capa’s Death of a Loyalist Soldier also known as The Falling Soldier, there were definitely a lot of discussions going on about this picture. I think that Robert Whelan’s arguments are convincing because who would really want to fake death. It makes for a good picture and good for publicity, but I don’t think he would fake a picture like this. I don’t think this photograph was staged because although it looks like there is an odd smile on his face, it looks like he has really been hit by a stray bullet. The photograph shows that he has been taken back by the bullet and could not seem the least bit fake to me. This controversial photo reminds me of the war photo by Alexander Gardner, Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter, Gettysburg, July 1863. These two pictures have the same concept and have plenty of discussions about whether they were staged or not. This goes to show even 70 years later there are still arguments as to whether or not photographs have been staged or not. at this point, I believe that both photos were not staged and these photographers wouldn’t go through so much to “fake” such photos.
Ryan F. HW#3 – Robert Capa’s Death of a Loyalist Soldier
After carefully looking at Robert Capa’s photograph “Death of a Loyalist Soldier” and reading the given article, i am still not thoroughly convinced this photograph is true and natural. i believe this was staged. A couple reasons i believe that is was not staged is for one, there is no one else in sight or around him at all, this is very strange since their equipment and guns at this time were not very accurate for long range, the shooter would have had to been a lot closer and the soldier would not have gotten that close without some sort of backup. Another reason is that the way he body is thrown, doesn’t seem to me that it looks like he got shot, it looks like he threw himself like that and purposely threw his gun. The only thing i see and read in the article that makes me believe this is real and not staged, is the soldiers left hand. How it is curled which would really happen if he was shot, this would not be something he would have been thinking about if this was staged. Although i don’t think the article is persuasive enough because i am definitely still undeceive.
Group Presentations!
Alabama sharecropper Frank Tengle and family singing hymns, 1936
Below is a list of the presentation order for Monday and Tues/Thur sections of the History of Photography Group projects.
Monday section Presentations: in class on May 9th, 2016
Tues/Thurs section Presentations: in class on May 10th, 2016 (may run over to May 12th).
Monday Sections 5/9/16
Tina Modotti
Bill Brandt
Lewis Hine
Andre Kertesz
Elliott Erwitt
Margaret Bourke-White
Clarence H. White
Aaron Siskind
Tues/Thurs Sections 5/10/16
Andre Kertesz
Tina Modotti
Aaron Siskind
Clarence H White
Lewis Hine
Elliott Erwitt
Margaret Bourke-White
Bill Brandt
Homework 3
After reading Proving that Robert Capa’s “Falling Soldier” is Genuine: A Detective Story by Richard Whelan I think his arguments are convincing and persuasive. At first there were a few points that convinced me that the picture was staged. First was the picture of the falling man and the other photo of a group of soldiers published on Vu. They seem to look like the same person, which meant the falling man was alive after the Capa’s picture was shot. The second point was the testimony of O.D Gallagher about sharing a room with Capa and hearing that he hadn’t gotten any good photos of the war so he was planning on faking it. I thought it was true because why would someone lie about something like that. Finally the third point that convinced me at first was that from art history I have noticed that most photos during wars where people seem to be perfectly caught were for the most part staged, a common practice at the time. An example is Home of the Rebel Sharpshooter by Alexander Gardner. After Whelan started to defend Capa I do not think that the photograph is staged. Firstly, when he presents the two photos of supposedly the same man he zooms up to them. they seem to look alike because they are wearing the same style of clothing. But if you look closely they are not the same man. Second when they interviewed Gallagher again he seemed not so sure about the story he told which means he was lying. Finally what really convinced me was when Whelan zoomed into the loyalist militiaman and you get to see his left hand. In the photo you see that his almost touching the floor with his behind and one foot is planted on the floor and the other is on the heel. No actor could have made the position so perfectly. Also if he was actually acting that he was falling and Capa took the photo quickly his hand would have been palms facing the floor and fingers out because that is out first reaction when we fall. Yet his fingers are curled slightly onto his palm because his muscles are contracting from the shock of the bullet. Another thing was when he did research about what Capa was doing on September 5,1936 and also the place Capa was standing as he took the famous picture. Its all evident that Capa was there and the picture was taken under warfare circumstances. I think authenticity matters because Capa was risking himself in the war to get a good photo so it at least deserves its recognition as the original best war photograph ever made.
